I am a university student, so having a lunch packed with me a) helps me save some much needed cash and b) allows me to have quick access to food when my tummy rumbles during a lecture. For obvious reasons, you don’t want messy food, loud food, or food you have to reheat. If you have food with you that has loud packaging or is messy you will disrupt your own learning environment as well as the rest of the class. Reheating food is also a pain because most classes have a 10-15 minute break (if at all); 10-15 minutes on campus isn’t much time to find the microwave, wait in line, and get back to class on time. With all of that said, I have devised a few easy and hassle-free lunches I like to bring with me.
If you have a sweet tooth, this lunch idea will be right up your alley: Strawberry-Banana-Nutella Sandwich
You will need 1 banana (slices up), 2 slices if your favorite bread, jar of Nutella, and a few strawberries (sliced). All you have to do now is make it into a sandwich by spreading the Nutella onto the bread and layering the fruit! Complicated, I know. 😉
For a delicious and filling lunch I suggest: A Tuna Melt Wrap
Remember how I said reheating is a no-no? Well, this tuna melt is pre-melted allowing you to just dig into the wrap without the hassle. You will need flour tortillas, 1 can of tuna, 1/2 celery stick (finely chopped), a couple of slices of red onion (finely chopped), 1/2 of a large tomato (finely chopped), a few squirts of Sriracha sauce (or any hot sauce you like), a couple dollops of mayonnaise, salt and pepper, and cheddar cheese (thinly sliced).
Now all you have to do is throw all the ingredients (except for the wrap and cheddar cheese) into a large bowl, mix it together well and then make your wrap. You can easily make this the night before and keep it in the fridge. In the morning, before you head out, just zap it in the microwave for a few seconds and let it cool on a plate before putting it into a container to take with you.
For the salad and pasta lovers: Sesame Pasta Salad
Make the dressing and prepare the ingredients the night ahead and it will be ready to toss and go in the morning! What you will need is 1 pound of linguine pasta (cooked), 4 tablespoons of sesame oil, 3 tablespoons honey, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1/2 garlic clove (crushed), 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, 2 bell peppers (thinly sliced), some red onion (thinly sliced), 1 carrot ( chopped Julienne style), handful of snow peas.
Make the dressing in a small Tupperware container by tossing in the sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and garlic, then whisk until well combined. Cover and put away in the fridge. Following that, put the pasta and veggies and peanuts into a different Tupperware container and put that in the fridge as well. In the morning, all you will have to do is put the salad together (or take the two containers with you and add the dressing at lunch).
For someone who likes meat: Turkey Sandwich With a Twist
This is not a boring sandwich you are used to, this one is delicious. What you will need is 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 splash of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, several slices of smoked turkey, 2 slices of bread, 2 thin slices of tomato, 1 leaf of hearts of romaine lettuce.
In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, Parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, and lemon juice. Next, spread that sauce generously onto both sliced of bread. Layer one slice with lettuce, tomato, and turkey and then close the sandwich with the second slice. Put the sandwich into a Ziploc bag and that’s that!
Pinch of Yumm 